4. Get plants. Because some days you are going to need a reason to go to the office. Most startups fail. But those that succeed are the ones that persevere through the tough times. As my mentor once said, success is not so much a matter of being at the right place at the right time as it is a matter of being. Just keep plugging. Go to the office. Water the plants. Grow your business.

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Here’s some additional advice that I recently gave to a law student of mine:

You’re going to have to sell yourself into whatever job you land, whether you start off on your own or join a firm.

The above article includes much of I wish I’d known before starting my practice.

I wouldn’t worry so much about not fitting the traditional mold. In life, there is no standard path. Each of us has a unique path. Use your unique path to tell your story, to sell yourself.

For example, when I left law school to start working in marketing jobs for Internet companies, I had to explain how a lawyer could do marketing. I explained that selling a story to a jury is like selling a product to a customer. I got the job.

Years later, when I started my law firm after six years out of the practice of law, I had to convince clients to hire me. I told them that my real-world experience gave me a unique perspective on how IP operated in the real world, and they probably would want someone who understood their startup experience. 12+ years later, this is still essentially my marketing pitch.

I also think you can do lots of flavors of patents (including mechanical, software, and business method) without any specific degree. My first associate was a civil engineer and wrote mostly software patents.